Germancruiser

Very interessting review. I did just the same this year- after around 20 cruises with X- jumped ship to Cunard- and then tried HAL. I agree with most - but what I found totaly lacking with HAL is the self service in the Dutch Cafe ( I was on board NSTDM). Dutch Cafe of course compares with Al Bacio- very strange! I sailed Zuiderdam once and the the new NSTDM. Absolutley not my ship. There was really not much i liked about this brand new ship. To dark, to much " indoors"...! The so called Prommenade Deck- a joke really! The service- if provided was excellent! The food - as the OP mentioned compareable to X and Cunard. HAL again? No certainly not!

eroller- i still have hopes for a propper prommenade Deck- as slim as they might be! As the saying goes- Hope dies last! If it took- as they state- them years to plan the new vessel- then hopefully someone came with an idea how to keep with the traditon of a prommenade deck- thats worth it´s name. LOL!

Those places you all mentioned are wonderful for High tea- no question about it! BUT- for me- what makes the QM2/QV/QE - AFTERnoon tea so special: IT IS ON BOARD AN OCEAN LINER- CRUISE SHIP- whatever you may call those Cunarders!

eroller- so do I - seeing those old chairs from the Verandah Grills calmed my " ruffled feathers" so to speak! LOL! The should stick with the basics- a propper prommenade deck, for example and built around the rest- with a nod to the past and a look forward, too! Nobody wants to go back to " bathrooms and loo´s " not available in all staterooms...!

Oh well since I can not afford my own ship- i am stuck with what is on offer out there- and have to ajust to the flow of passengers- however good or bad they behave! As I said- even on a Transatlantic this year it was no problem to get a seat in Al Baccio- even at peak times. The staff there was extremly friendly and attentive. Also i never came across card players or others who did not order anything- just sat there. What i found- lounges- bars- are all the more popular the more they offer a view to the sea- at day- i mean!

eroller- yes indeed- a walkway- thats exactly what it is on KD and NST- no chairs - no view- very unappealing- as the whole NST was for us! Dark inside- very little connection with the sea! The Queens Room looks more like a dungeon! As for the name- I suppose since it is listed as Queen Anne it probably will be named Queen Anne! I would have prefered Queen Alexandra- but still- whats in a name?

Well, that is not a yes or no question- some may pass through without purchasing something " to go"- some come back later! So yes- maybe- and no maybe not! On my last TA on board Silhouette in April this year I always found available space in Al Bacio- no problem there- not always my favorite seat by the window- but there were always seats available. When a table for four was taken by just one person- i politly asked if i may take a seat- not once was i turned down. Same when I sat there alone- i met so many interessting and nice people who joined me- or visa verse! I sit there for at least one or maybe two hours- have tea- have a hot chocolate whatsoever- if one beverage is gone i order the next- so yes they make revenue with my drinks there- and therefore I sit there as long as want and ORDER something! LOL!

From Cunards renderings it does no look like we get a propper Prommenade Deck- almost a Trademarkt for Cunard ships. Same as it was for HAL- but the new ships like Koningdam and Niuew Amsterdam lack a Prommenade Deck- more´s the pity! Let´s not drown the cat before it is even born and cross fingers- Cunard does a better job than HAL.

Thank you, OP for your long review. If you are used to smaller ships and ships of the high end of the cruise market it does not surprise me, that one QM2 experience is enough for you! You review was very balanced and a good source for those who seek information about the last ocean liner! KC- well that is a story for itself! I ( and many around here, I bet) knew the old KC- before the 2016 refit. The new layout - well the new buffet areas- are a real bonus. I find KC a good place to eat when you are in a hurry- as many wrote. The food is all right- nothing special- but much better than many buffets i now of other cruise lines! For me it is the dinning room - for most of my meals. Breakfast in Cafe Carinthia, if to not too hungry- is a great alternative. They have nice choices of little bits and pieces! Freshly made and " jummy" AND they serve your tea there- high Quality tea. Bourdon- I agree- Cafe Florian and F&M are a different story- and a different price range, I might add. I love both for high tea. The tea they offer is great. F&M is also not to be missed on a visit in London. Both are almost " trademarks" or " landmarks" for the City they are located in! A great experience, both of them. Afternoon tea in the Queens Room is special, i love it! No other ships than Cunarders offer it on that scale! I find it a triffle unfair to compare the QR to a cafeteria..! It might be quite obvious - QM2 is my favorite ship out there- by fare and long. Both QV and QE are next.

I hope and cross fingers that ALL bathrooms get a makeover- those shower curtains are awefull! As for the carpets in the corridors- some like them - some not- but with all the passengers traffic in said corridors it is likley that they will be changed. Wifi- should be taken care of soon- yes- and I don´t see a need for a drydock for that purpose! Glad that they keep the QM2 shipshape.

Majortom- whatever you may call it- brive- tip- as long it works... i really do not care! LOL

If in Nassau you have to expect a lot of fellow cruises- from possibly 5 to 6 ships. I always would go on my own. Either to Paradise Island- the Atlantis- if you like that kind of thing. If you new to Nassau- just walk around. Since I have been many times- in April i booked into a Hotel via a daypass- worked well!

For me the old system - handing over envelopes at the end of a cruise/ voyage was by far the better option. If I am satisfied or more so- i can show it via the amount I tip. I very rarely experienced bad service on board any ship or any cruise line for that matter. So I usually tip extra - above the automaticly charged amount. Not all and not everytime- but if the service was " extra" I give a little " extra"! The cabin attendant- in my opinion the most important service memeber I tip always up front a little extra! Makes - usually - for a " smooth sailing"!

well said- lamcruizn- we have three cats- we always joked about takeing them with us on a cruise! LOL! We have good cat sitters- so no problem here. Also we still able to keep our sanity without support of an animal- well we help it along with Martini or two! I am sure that many people are in need of assistance- but as usual- some people take advantage an cheat - not very nice- and not very considerate! If people want to take their dogs- there is one ship out there- which happens to be my favorite ship out there- THE QUEEN MARY2- which has canels and their own dog walker. Very nicely done indeed, with a lampost specialy to keep them dogs amused! ( and their owners! )

lamcruzin- your comment may not be political corect- but I agree'! A shame everything one says these days has to be corect- in line- just so nobody get´s offended! I met a nice young lady around 30 something would be my guess - traveling with a friend- I have no idea wether it was her husband, partner or whatever- anyway- she carried her little donkey all the time- when at a bar it had his own seat- she talked to him as if it was a real person'! If all seats were taken- the little donkey would sit right there on the bar! Oh did i mention the donkey was of course a plush toy!